Category: Submission Grappling

Maryland-based Team Lloyd Irvin came in second place at the 2012 IBJJF No Gi World Championship, a strong outcome by any measure. The team’s founder Lloyd Irvin Junior was able to take a few moments from his very busy schedule to answer some questions we had about his team’s performance at the event.

The FightWorks Podcast: Your team has successful jiu-jitsu athletes across belts and genders. Talk about some of your standouts this time around.

Lloyd Irvin Jr.: It’s hard to go into standouts because overall everyone did well. We had lots of gold medals, lots of medals. There’s no one person who stood out. If you forced me, I’d say DJ because he became our first Black Belt no gi world champion.

The FightWorks Podcast: After a long time away from competition, you also stepped on the mats and won your weight division, black belt I senior heavy. What was that like?

Lloyd Irvin Jr.: It was great! I did it more so as a way to motivate the team. We had a lot of high energy and expectations going into no gi worlds and I thought throwing my hat in there and telling the guys I’m going to battle with them, getting back in shape, training to compete all that would be a great motivation and it was. It felt great!

The FightWorks Podcast: There was some controversy around the outcome of the black belt lightweight finals match between Team Lloyd Irvin competitor JT Torres and Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes (Soul Fighters International). JT was winning by a narrow margin until the closing moments of the match, when Tanquinho was awarded an advantage that gave him the victory. The evening of the finals, you wrote on your twitter account @lloydirvin, “What happened to JT in the finals is a disgrace! It’s deeper than anyone knows”. What did you mean?

Lloyd Irvin Jr.: I meant that some people think that this is a game, that this is all fun and game but this stuff affects people lives. People dedicate their lives to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and you have a situation where people are blatantly cheating. This is way bigger than just the JT match. There’s a serious problem going on and it’s affecting peoples lives.

The FightWorks Podcast: At the conclusion of that match between JT and Tanquinho it looked as if you might have been angry with JT. Were the comments you were making then directed at him or at the referees?

Lloyd Irvin Jr.: I have no idea how anyone would think anything was directed at JT. It was clearly directed at the refs and the people in the stands that were cheering after that travesty. Tanquinho pulled with no grips, JT backed up because there was no grips, the ref gave JT a negative point with no warning, which totally changed the landscape of the match. I mean there are several times during the match where Tanquinho doesn’t engage and runs away during the take down battles and he was not penalized or even given a warning. As soon as JT was given the penalty I knew what they were doing. If you watch the video I tell JT “you know what’s up, you know what they’re doing!” In pro sports it’s called point shaving, and it’s a crime.

A controversial outcome: Tanquinho defeats JT Torres at the 2012 No Gi Jiu-Jitsu World Championships.

The FightWorks Podcast: All said and done, how do you feel about the outcome of the event as you look at your team’s work?

Lloyd Irvin Jr.: I’m happy with my team’s performance. There are a few people who I expected to medal and did not, but we’ll fix those errors going into the next competition.

The FightWorks Podcast: Which Team Lloyd Irvin athletes might we see competing on December 8th for a shot at $5,000 in the first-ever IBJJF Pro League event? It looks like JT Torres will have a bid, but will others be competing earlier that day at the Long Beach Fall Open in hopes of earning a spot to compete later that evening?

The 2011 ADCC Championship is behind us, and what an event it was. Anyone who was there in Nottingham or watched it live online will be quick to tell you that it was like watching a two-day long Hollywood action movie starring the world’s best submission grapplers.

This week on The FightWorks Podcast we will recap the 2011 ADCC action with San Diego’s own Kid Peligro, the author of The Gracie Way and many other Brazilian jiu-jitsu books. Kid has been present in person at every Abu Dhabi Combat Club championship since its beginning in 1998, so it’s difficult to find anyone who can analyze the action with such experience. We spend a few moments discussing every division (guys, girls, and absolute!) and compare this year’s event to those of prior years.

In addition, we bring you the type of exclusive content you are accustomed to hearing right here on the Audio Home of BJJ: an audio recording from the rules meeting held on the Friday afternoon before the tournament began. We received permission from the head ADCC referee Peter Ivanov to record his comments to all the athletes about the very unique rules in this important no-gi tournament.

The 2011 ADCCs were packed with submissions and nothing short of explosive. Join us in this review of last week’s action!

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Here’s a quick update folks on the timeline of events this weekend at the 2011 ADCC being held in Nottingham, England.

FRIDAY (today)

3pm: the competitors weigh in. I will be on site at the arena with Budo Videos conducting interviews with the athletes, who I expect to be pretty grumpy as weigh ins can be stressful if your weight is near the maximum allowed weight for your division! The content we put together then will not be broadcast live, but may make it onto Youtube or Facebook.

6pm: Open Mat courtesy of Gracie Barra Midlands, up the road in Mansfield. We want to attend and will try to figure out logistics so we can be there.

SATURDAY

12pm: Broadcast of the 2011 ADCC begins on Budovideos.com/online. If you have any questions about when it starts in your time zone, how much it is, Budo posted a FAQ about the broadcast. I’ll be commentating with Shawn Williams!

SUNDAY

9am-10am: Breakfast and Coffee with the Family! If you are here in Nottingham, please stop by the Holiday Inn Express (map) and talk ADCC with us! We have been doing these get-togethers at the IBJJF BJJ World Championships and at the IBJJF’s Pans for a few years now and it’s really fun to geek out with you guys, so please stop by. The guys at the front desk said it costs 5.95 pounds, and I can’t vouch for the food or the service, but the company will be great! Really hope you can make it!

12 pm: Broadcast resumes on Budovideos.com/online for the final day of action.

The 2011 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Grappling World Championship is on the way! The bi-annual no gi championship, promoted by Sheik Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan is going to be held in Nottingham, England on September 24th & 25th. This has always been one of the most important competitions in the world of grappling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Many would not hesitate before saying ADCC is the premier stage for no-gi submission grappling on the planet as the prize money is like no other ($40,000 for winning one’s weight division and the absolute!) and the winners solidify their place in the history of grappling greats.

To help set the stage, we sat down with Royler Gracie black belt Kid Peligro. Kid’s got a long list of accomplishments in contributing to great jiu-jitsu content for enthusiasts like you and me. However he has been associated with the ADCC event in one form or another since its inception in 1999 and has been a consistent contributor to ADCC news portal adcombat.com for years. We will review how ADCC started and Kid shares some of his most vivid memories of ADCC clashes.

(I will be part of the broadcast team of the event with Budo Videos in September as we stream the event from the UK. I know, this isn’t breaking news but you know how I feel about transparency with the Family!)

Braulio Estima applies an armbar on his way to another victory at the 2009 ADCC.

Yesterday evening we posted a statement we received from jiu-jitsu legend Royler Gracie, who expressed discontent over perceived unfair tactics by ADCC organizers as they negotiated Royler’s possible match with Eddie Bravo.

Early this morning we received a response from ADCC organizer Guy Neivens. (We would have posted this earlier today but we were occupied at the 2011 IBJJF Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championship in Long Beach!)

In response to Royler Gracie letter

Royler is a true champion of ADCC with an unbeaten three world titles to his name, a true legend.

ADCC goal since 1998 has been to promote Submission Fighting worldwide,having success now with Federations in more than fifty countries.A few months ago ADCC committee decided it would generate more interest in the sport to promote some veteran matches- Renzo Gracie and Mario Sperry is now confirmed,and the idea of a rematch between Royler Gracie and Eddie Bravo seemed a natural re-match. ADCC secured sponsorship for the prize money for each fight $25000 however, it turned out Royler wanted $50000 just to appear plus the $25000 if he won, that would be $75000 for a senior grappling match!ADCC attempted to secure more sponsorship,until now with no success.Thereafter it was decided that we cannot offer more to veterans than we do to our current superfight contenders Jacarre and Braulio. It should be noted ADCC is a non-profit making organisation with the sole intent to make it a worldwide sport.However we would love to still see this fight go ahead.

Both Royler who has competed three times and thousands of other fighters who have competed in ADCC are aware there has never been any contract between ADCC and any fighter, it is a tournament attended by invitation or qualification.

ADCC will continue to promote the sport of submission fighting with the aim getting the respect and support it surely deserves.

Guy Neivens
ADCC

We will continue to monitor the story as it develops, as it would be great to see Royler Gracie and Eddie Bravo have the opportunity to rematch after their 2003 fight.

Today at the International Jiu-Jitsu Federation World Championship in Long Beach, California, Royler Gracie stopped by the broadcast booth to discuss his upcoming fight with Eddie Bravo at the 2011 ADCC Championship in Nottingham, England on September 24th and 25th.

As you heard in that conversation, Royler confirmed that he expects to the match against Eddie Bravo (technically a rematch of his 2003 ADCC loss to Bravo) to move forward and that he looks forward to the opportunity. He said that everything is basically worked out but no contract has been signed yet.

After the interview took place, Royler said he’d be forwarding some thoughts about this rematch to us by email. Here is Royler’s message, word for word:

To all my Fans.
Here is the truth regarding my potential participation in an ADCC Super Fight: I received a call from my cousin, Renzo, who told me that ADCC was interested in having me participate in their September event. I told him that it would be a pleasure for me to once again compete for the ADCC organization. Renzo said that ADCC Vice President Guy Nievens would contact me to negotiate the terms of my contract, including the purse for the match. The following day, the ADCC website reported the match and several media outlets contacted me. I stated that it would be great to once again train hard for a grappling match and that I was confident that we would be able to enter into a contract. At that point no details had been discussed nor had I even spoken with anyone from the ADCC organization regarding this match.
Guy Nievens called me several days later to negotiate the contract terms for the match. In my experience, these negotiations are always confidential. The very next day, I was shocked to learn that Mr. Nievens had disclosed certain details of our conversation to the public. Perhaps Mr. Nievens was attempting to trick me into entering into an unfair contract? Regardless of his motivation, it is deplorable that someone working for Sheik Tahnoon would, in my opinion, behave in such an unethical, unprofessional and disrespectful manner. The Sheik is a distinguished man who has been instrumental in the growth of submission wrestling throughout the world. Mr. Nievens’ actions show, in my opinion, an inability to perform his duties as VP of ADCC and unworthiness to represent the Sheik.
Everyone knows that I am a fighter. I have never shied away from a challenge. Since I was 6 years old, I have fought hundreds of matches for free, just for the love of the sport. I have fought under sport jiu-jitsu rules, judo rules, submission wrestling rules, MMA rules and many times without any rules. I have faced opponents sometimes twice my size. Cowardice is not a word in mine or my family’s vocabulary. Throughout my almost 40 year career, I achieved the pinnacle of my sport, including seven world titles. When fighting in a professional event, after years of dedication, it is only fair and appropriate for me to ask for a reasonable purse that reflects my successful career in the ring and my unimpeachable conduct as a professional athlete. Everyone who knows me understands that I will show up to any event well prepared. This entails me having to stop teaching classes and seminars for approximately two months with great financial cost to my family and me. All I am asking is for the ADCC organization to cover these expenses. I am still confident that the Abu Dhabi organization will treat me with the respect that I have earned and will come through with this match in the name of all our loyal fans and supporters

Royler Gracie

A rematch between Royler Gracie and Eddie Bravo will draw a lot of interest from semi-casual fans that otherwise may not get very excited about an ADCC event. If you believe that any increased interest in submission grappling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a good thing, then it’s safe to say a rematch between these competitors is something we all want to happen! We will hope all parties can agree on something, and we can see a great match of high-level submission grappling in September.

I was going to include this post inside another one, but I figure this question will come up enough that it’s probably going to be referenced in the future and deserves its own post. So, for starters, you can check out Kid Peligro’s answer to this common question. Below is whatever insight I might be able to add.

ADCC

What is commonly referred to as the ADCC Championship is a submission grappling event that happens every two years and began in 1998, probably way before you ever stepped on the mats. A Gracie Barra instructor here in San Diego named Nelson Monteiro had a student who turned out to be a member of the royal family in the United Arab Emirates, a country with a total population of just under 5 million people. That student’s name is Sheik Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nayan, and these days he probably does not spend too much time dealing directly with learning new submissions as he has some pretty important responsibilities back in the UAE. In any case he is still a patron of submission grappling and the events continue to run every two years.

The name ADCC represents “Abu Dhabi Combat Club” which is a physical training center in – you guessed it – Abu Dhabi, one of two major cities in the UAE. (The other is Dubai).

In the earliest years of the ADCC, you had to receive an invitation to compete. Nowadays you can still receive an invite which usually includes an offer of travel and accommodation but the ADCC holds qualifiers around the world so anyone should have the opportunity to compete in the event. There is even one such qualifier scheduled to take place here in San Diego next weekend.

The prizes for winning the ADCC are the largest I am aware of in the world of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and submission grappling. For example, the winner of the male absolute division (no weight restrictions there) earns $40,000! While the women’s divisions are not equally rewarded, it’s safe to say that in this respect the ADCC has done much to motivate and compensate submission grapplers around the world.

The last edition of the ADCC World Championships were held in Barcelona, Spain in 2009 and the finals of the 2011 edition is said to be in Nottingham, England. This is, perhaps not coincidentally, virtually home territory for the 2009 ADCC absolute champion Braulio Estima and his brother Victor.

World Professional Jiu-Jitsu

World Professional Jiu-Jitsu is a separate organization than the one responsible for ADCC. World Professional Jiu-Jitsu’s benefactor is a different member of the Emirati royal family Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan.

World Professional Jiu-Jitsu has only been around two or three years. Originally it began as a competition where you had to wear the gi, but this year it has begun offering no-gi divisions as well.

One term you may have heard in the last couple of years is Abu Dhabi Pro. What’s that you ask? Abu Dhabi Pro is a company ran by Fernando Paradeda that is responsible for carrying out some of the World Professional Jiu-Jitsu trials around the world. You can hear him discuss the effort in an earlier conversation with us here on The FightWorks Podcast earlier this year.

After the name of former UFC champion Josh Barnett appeared on the competitor list for this Sunday’s No Gi Jiu-Jitsu World Championship in the black belt division, a few eyebrows were raised online. “Had Josh Barnett ever worn a jiu-jitsu gi?” “Isn’t Barnett a catch wrestler?” Well Family, make sure you listen to this coming Sunday’s episode of our BJJ radio show, because FightWorks Podcast contributor Bruce Hoyer was able to speak with Barnett about his appearance in the No Gi Worlds. One of the questions Barnett is asked is about how he classifies himself as a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. His answer:

“They want to know where I got my black belt? I got my black belt from all the other black belts who I’ve passed out and made scream over the years. That’s where I earned it.”

According to the brackets that the IBJJF has posted, Barnett’s first oppponent will be Andre de Freitas of Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. de Freitas is very tough, but Barnett will be looking to come out and make a point in his first match, so it should be very entertaining.

It is hard to argue that the brightest star last weekend at the 2009 ADCC Championship was not Gracie Barra’s Braulio Estima. In that contest where every competitor is an elite, world-class grappler, every foe that stepped in front of the tall and lanky Brazilian was eliminated. Even for jiu-jitsu dynamos like Marcelo Garcia, Vinicius Magalhaes, and Xande Ribeiro, facing Braulio meant that your day was over.

Andre Galvao, of Atos Jiu-Jitsu was another who fell prey to “Carcara”. In the finals of the -89Kg division, Estima managed to submit Galvao with a reverse triangle. Not only is seeing Andre Galvao tap a rarity, but doing so with such an uncommon technique was a moment that those who watched the live online broadcast will remember for some time.

According to Estima,

This technique comes very natural for my game. It’s a technique I’ve actually been doing since I was a blue belt. It’s not a new technique. It’s just a natural thing that I mastered since the last tournament. I’ve been training this technique a lot in preparing for the Abu Dhabi. I even texted [my brother] Octavio saying, “Man I’ve been training a lot of reverse triangles, so watch out for the reverse triangle, I’m going to get a lot of people in that.” It was funny because I managed to get the toughest guy in it.

We are happy to announce that this coming Sunday’s episode of The FightWorks Podcast will feature an interview with Estima. If you have ever wondered how it feels to be ADCC absolute division champion, make sure you tune in to hear it straight from a humble and ecstatic Braulio Estima.

Braulio Estima’s reverse triangle submission on Andre Galvao, which won Estima the gold medal at the 2009 ADCC’s under 89Kg division.

The following is the live play by play conducted beginning at approximately 2:30AM west coast time in the United States of the second day of action at the 2009 ADCC in Barcelona. – Caleb
2:38 “The competition is about to begin!” So says the voice of Bruce Buffer in Barcelona in the live broadcast of the 2009 ADCCs.

2:38 “The live blog is about to begin!” So says the voice of Caleb in San Diego.

2:39 [Comment From Team Alliance Jiu-Jitsu] but is it not abtou 30 min before matches start?

2:40 You know, the footage that is being displayed now looks suspiciously like video from yesterday.

2:40 So this looks like a replay to pass the time before today’s action.

2:42 [Comment From Team Alliance Jiu-Jitsu] How did Cobrinha look like yesterday to you? Slick, in game, going win or having trouble?

2:43 I thought he looked on top of things as always! Nothing unusual that I noticed.

2:44 [Comment From Guest] Thanks for doing this Caleb! I have to admit…the video coverage yesturday sucked and the commentary was even worse. Very unprofessional. Better to get the play by play here!

2:45 Thanks for being here! Ha! I disagree! I thought the video was not ESPN quality but I don’t expect it to be perfect. I am just really excited that I can watch it from home and still (for the most part) have it being like I am there. 🙂

2:49 [Comment From Guest] Just hated how the camera would cut away during the most exciting part of the matches. Missed subs of alot of matches. Commentary was very biased too. Anyway…great matches and as always…fightworks podcast rocks!

2:49 Thanks for the kind words!

2:52 Yeah as it’s still very early in the history of BJJ / submission grappling, I am kinda okay with it. Next time perhaps we will be a bit closer to it being perfect. But at the moment we (as a community) are still learning to walk, so I don’t mind.

2:52 [Comment From JimM] I am not seeing any fotage, when I log in, I only see the preview video, then a blank screen…did I miss something?

2:53 I am seeing footage of yesterday’s first matches. Video from Sunday’s competition has not begun yet. (Sorry I am a bit sleep deprived and was fooled when the video of yesterday was shown) 🙂

2:57 [Comment From El Conquistador] I here you…just need better commentators. They were hating on Eddie Bravo but he would have done a lot better job. The video would have been perfect if they didn’t cut away right before the subs.

2:58 Yeah there was a moment or two where the moment of the tap was missed but I can imagine with three mats going on at the same time and trying to coordinate what’s being shown across them all it’s a lot to handle. Today should be better because there will only be two mats total as far as I know.

2:59 [Comment From S] Before the matches start I want to say thank you for the live bloging. I don’t have the stream but this is is a good substitue. You did a great job yesterday.

3:00 My pleasure! The live blog is most important for folks who weren’t able to get the broadcast, so I’m happy we could help.

3:00 [Comment From htownbjj] Thanks so much for the liveblog. Based on what you saw, if we have a rematch of Marcelo vs. Pablo, who would you expect to win?

3:00 I would have to go with Marcelo again but catching Pablo has to be nearly impossible!

3:01 [Comment From mikey5time] Big thanks for the blog. I’m at work, so I couldn’t watch this if I wanted but I can follow this.

3:01 @mikey5time: just don’t get fired! 🙂

3:02 For those who say they still can’t see any of the feed, are you logged in on adcc2009.com and is your browser at this page: http://www.adcc2009.com/index.php?page=feed1

3:03 [Comment From JimM] I was having issues, but after logging off and back in, it worked.

3:05 @JimM: Great! Glad to hear it. For what it’s worth, I had a hiccup yesterday early in the broadcast but when I switched from Firefox to Safari it was fine. Apparently the broadcast is only recommended for Internet Explorer and Safari web browsers.

7:15 Now Cobrinha gets the same single leg but Mendes is working the anaconda! WOW That was so tight! But Cobrinha escapes!!

7:15 Mendes is cranking a heel hook on Cobrinha.

7:16 Cobrinha now is on bottom in half guard.

7:17 [Comment From abdullah] hey caleb who do you have ur money on?

7:17 @abdullah: Well the way things have been going for Mendes, there could indeed be another upset in the works here.

7:17 But it is hard to say.

7:18 Both fighters are now standing.

7:19 Uh oh, Cobrinha goes for the single leg but Mendes locks on the anaconda along the way. Cobrinha is fighting….

7:20 Wow, I can’t belong how long he was in there, in that tight anaconda, and made it out conscious! Now he’s on top again and they go out of bounds.

7:20 [Comment From Jon Plyler] Anyone know what the prize money is for the tournament this year?

7:20 Cobrinha is now on top working to pass Mendes’ open guard.

7:21 [Comment From JAMES] 40g for superfight

7:21 [Comment From JAMES] 10 g for weight class

7:22 Both are in the center. As yet we have not seen the 50/50 guard appear in this match.

7:23 [Comment From Team Alliance Jiu-Jitsu] Has ANYONE used 50/50 guard so far?

7:23 I recall seeing it somewhere but can’t say who did.

7:24 Cobrinha landed a Jacare-style foot sweep and put Mendes on his back.

7:24 Now Mendes has reversed things again and he is on top.

7:25 Still 0-0 here I believe.

7:27 Now we see 50/50 guard. and Mendes makes it on top.

7:27 Cobrinha has the heel hook and Mendes rolls out of bounds.

7:28 They’re restarted in the center in the same position and Rafael rolls them out of bounds again.

7:28 Here we go again. Restarted in the center with Cobrinha holding the heel hook.

7:29 On this third time, Rafeal escapes the attack before they go to the edge.

7:30 Cobrinha’s in a weird deep half guard for a sec. Now he gets the sweep, and they restart in the center.

7:31 I cannot tell what the points are now. Mendes is working a heel hook and transitions to x-guard.

7:33 Mendes has some alien kimura combo leg attack going on there for a second. Cobrinha slid out. This match makes people who’ve had knee injuries very queasy. (Read: ME!)

7:33 Rafael Mendes is every bit Cobrinha’s equal in this match.

7:36 Both of these guys’ knees appear to naturally bend in several directions. Mendes is trying for the darce again but loses it.

7:37 Looks like regulation time is up.

7:37 Let’s see if the judges force them to overtime.

7:37 And here they go. OT.

7:38 If Cobrinha can pull off another single leg that would come in handy now.

7:39 [Comment From blayne] ..and not get choked in the process

7:39 @blayne: good point.

7:40 The two have been facing each other standing up this whole overtime so far.

7:40 [Comment From H] cobrinha’s sub defense is absusrd. Is it possible to make him tap?

7:40 [Comment From Bevois] Enrico Cocco used the 50/50 on Kron yesterday, but Kron ended up choking him out via RNC

7:41 Mendes shoots but it’s clear he’s tired. Cobrinha doesn’t have to do much to defend.

7:42 Mendes is shooting a lot now. If Cobrinha could lock in an anaconda that would be ironic.

7:43 Right on the edge of the mats Cobrinha almost locks in a choke but it falls apart and they’re restarted in the center.

7:44 [Comment From Bevois] Ironic that a “cobra” uses an “anaconda” or ironic since thats the choke Mendes has been looking to counter takedowns with? …double-irony

7:44 Both fighters are still standing now.

7:45 Cobrinha flirts with a foot sweep here as they’re both standing. Mendes returns with a single leg that Cobinha stuffs.

7:46 [Comment From ninja] Is this a contender for the fight of the day?

7:46 @ninja: that’s a tough call. Depends what you’re into. But there has been some very interesting action here intermittently for sure.

7:47 [Comment From homoplata] the commentators need to socialize off the air not during the finals!!

7:47 Cobrinha is close to getting a single leg here. Mendes is defending.

7:48 Looks like time expired in that overtime.

7:48 And now we start their second overtime!

7:48 [Comment From Dave Patterson] Caleb can do whatever the hell he wants. Thanks for doing this at the ass-crack of dawn for you, Caleb.

7:49 @Dave P: I think he was referring to the commentators in Barcelona. In any case my body clock is now very broken 🙂

7:49 Cobrinha is standing right behind Mendes, threatening to take the back.

7:51 Cobrinha is still hugging Mendes from behind and attempts to bring Mendes to the ground but Mendes scrambles out. This match has been going more than 20 minutes. These guys have amazing gas tanks!

7:51 Mendes shoots, Cobrinha sprawls.

7:52 The score is apparently 4-4.

7:53 Mendes winds up on bottom with 50/50 guard.

7:54 Cobrinha has been on this end of the 50/50 many times in competition. He appears comfortable. Mendes goes for the sweep and nearly gets it but Cobrinha escapes.

7:54 [Comment From bjjnut] what is the attendance like today

7:54 @bjjnut: I’d say there are not many people there.

7:55 [Comment From Jon Plyler] too bad…it was like that in Trenton a couple years ago too…

7:55 [Comment From Tom] No wonder…80 Euro for both days?

7:55 [Comment From Team Alliance Jiu-Jitsu] Is Cobrinha still stuck on the 50/50?

7:56 They have left and now returned to 50/50 guard.

7:56 uh oh! Mendes is on Cobrinha’s back!!!!

7:56 Both hooks are in!

7:57 Could this be the upset of the tournament??

7:57 Mendes has the body triangle on Cobrinha…

7:57 [Comment From Team Alliance Jiu-Jitsu] sucks

7:57 If nothing changes, Mendes wins!

7:57 [Comment From Team Alliance Jiu-Jitsu] Pablo winning against Marcelo was the upset

7:58 [Comment From atos] woooop vai pegar!!!!!

7:58 Wow. And another question: Will we see the Atos sword slashing afterwards?

7:59 Cobrinha’s back is still taken…

7:59 Mendes wins!!!!

7:59 [Comment From Tactical] Mendes will earn serious respect from me if he wins….and can skip the taunting this time around

8:19 @Bevois: not a straight foot lock but the mata-leao style foot lock.

8:20 Shioda and Alzuguir still standing.

8:21 [Comment From Bevois] I call those toeholds. ha

8:21 [Comment From Kneeblock] Is there a women’s absolute this year?

8:21 @Kneeblock: I would presume so.

8:22 Shioda took a fall on her way out of bounds a minute ago. She takes a moment to collect herself.

8:22 Now Shioda and Alzuguir are tied up in the center. And for a moment Shioda was using… 50/50 guard!

8:22 Shioda has now released it and is now on bottom in half guard.

8:24 Uh oh, Alzuguir almost had full mount but Shioda turns and is now in Alzuguir’s full guard.

8:24 [Comment From Bevois] Shioda won the 2007 ADCC at -55 kg

8:25 Shioda is now on bottom in half guard again. Alzuguir trying to pass.

8:26 Alzuguir crossfaces Shioda to prevent her from rolling under into a knee attack.

8:27 This match has a pretty constant pace. Both women are pressuring hard. Shioda went for a toe hold but Alzuguir jumps away.

8:27 Alzuguir has a guillotine attempt going from full guard but Shioda appears on to her.

8:28 [Comment From Brian Linzy] Hey Caleb, I just joined in. Did Ryan Hall end up in 3rd? If so, do you know how that happened?

8:28 @Blinzy: both Leo and Rani appeared to be hurt so Glover fought Hall for the bronze. Ryan won.

8:29 Shioda is now on top, attempting to pass the guard of Alzuguir.

8:30 Alzuguir is fighting from bottom in open guard. Shioda is stil trying to pass.

8:31 Shioda tries for a toe hold but Alzuguir is protecting.

8:31 [Comment From Ross Finlayson] Great work as usual, Caleb! (I’m heading back to bed now…)

8:31 @Ross: Thanks buddy, get some rest!

8:32 [Comment From Ferdinando] did Leo say anything on his interview about the injured?

8:32 @Ferdinando: I do not know. I am not able to concentrate on the interviews, action, and writing at the same time so I can’t tell you what he said.

8:33 Alzuguir is still on top, trying to pass Shioda’s butterfly guard now.

8:34 Sayaka has landed closed guard on Alzuguir, and attempts a guillotine but Alzuguir gets out.

8:35 Alzuguir stands and backs out of Shioda’s guard. Along the way Shioda dives into a heel hook. As they roll toward the edge of the mats, Alzuguir escapes.

8:35 Shioda is on bottom in half guard again. Alzuguir tries to flatten her out.

8:37 The commentators are announcing we’re nearing the 10 minute mark, where points would begin to count. Now both ladies are on their feet again.

8:38 Wow Alzuguir almost landed a very slick sweep, rolling Shioda over her own head but in the end Shioda recovers and winds up in Alzuguir’s closed guard.

8:39 Uh oh! Alzuguir has taken Shioda’s back!

8:40 Shioda is trying to turn back into full guard. Alzuguir gets 3 points now.

8:40 And Shioda does indeed turn back into Alzuguir and is in full guard.

8:41 Time expires! The end of 20 minutes! Luanna Alzuguir is the winner and earns the gold!

8:42 Great last minute effort to get the win. In 20 minutes the action will begin on two mats for the absolute divisions. We do not know the brackets for that. See you in 15-20 minutes!

8:42 [Be Right Back Countdown] 20 minutes

9:02 [Comment From Jon Plyler] Caleb, thanks again for the blog….great job! Unfortunately, I was unable to watch the live stream due to a slow internet connection at work…looking forward to the replay!!

9:02 @Jon: Thanks for tuning in. Keep in touch…

9:04 [Comment From Team Alliance Jiu-Jitsu] Have they released absolute brackets

9:04 [Comment From team_popovitch_bjj] do you know anything about the absolutes yet?

9:04 I know as much as you guys do! So to my knowledge, the brackets for the absolutes have not been made available.

9:07 Just an update for those who are not watching the live broadcast online: at the moment we are waiting for the absolute divisions to start. We don’t know who all will be competing or what the brackets are.

9:11 [Comment From Ivan] Borneo is still with you Caleb, its past 12am over here but its worth the wait!

9:14 [Comment From Cuong] x2!! Its 2am in Australia!

9:15 [Comment From m] it’s 6 pm in poland ! amazing

9:16 Good to hear from everyone around the world! As for the ADCC action, we’re still awaiting the absolute divisions to begin.

9:16 [Comment From Tom] Germany is here too

9:17 [Comment From JimM] Still with you Caleb, Atlanta GA

9:17 [Comment From David B] and Ireland!

9:17 [Comment From ana] noon here on the east coast

9:18 [Comment From ken] 1:20 in Japan

9:18 [Comment From Wee] and Canada

9:18 [Comment From #bjj.fi] finland represents

9:18 [Comment From EmiratesBJJ] 8:17 pm here in Abu Dhabi

9:18 [Comment From dadel] finland here

9:18 [Comment From Brian Linzy] I-95 in MD @ 75MPH checking in (I’m not the driver)

9:18 [Comment From aaron] uk

9:19 [Comment From Kneeblock] New york

9:19 [Comment From cheap_as_chimps] birmingham, uk

9:19 [Comment From tomek] Poland

9:19 Wow! So cool to hear from everyone. What a responsibility!

9:19 [Comment From aaron] caleb you have any idea yet who is entering?

9:20 [Comment From Rob] Oklahoma

9:20 [Comment From Oli] London, UK

9:20 [Comment From Ebe] Great dedication to the cause much appreciated Caleb

9:21 Well I presume: Xande, Tarsis, Ricco…

9:22 I would guess Pe De Pano would jump in.

9:23 [Comment From Chris] Marcelinho vs. Bruno Bastos up first in the Absolute

9:24 Right now the action has begun in the absolute. I see JK Peitlaneien is subbed by Braulio Estima by armbar!

9:24 [Comment From JimM] Caleb, you have joked for years…but maybe the mighty 600,000 is no longer a joke!!!!

9:24 @JimM: Maybe! That would be amazing! Then we’d change it to the Mighty 6 Billion.

9:25 Bruno Bastos is sitting in front of Marcelo Garcia’s butterfly guard. Bruno is a big guy and this will not be an easy opening match for Marcelo.

9:26 It looks like Bastos was encouraged by the ref to get the action going.

9:26 [Comment From Gumby] I’m officially declaring that it moves up to the might 850,000

9:27 Marcelo remains in butterfly guard in front of Bastos. Bastos is warned again by the ref.

9:28 Marcelo was working his way under Bruno and Bruno bailed and jumped away. The score is still 0-0. On the other mat Vinicius Magalhaes is up against Dean Lister.

9:28 Dean appears to be going after Vinny’s foot but Vinny escapes, and passes and gets side control.

9:29 [Comment From tapperouterer] vinny has been on a tear this weekend!

9:29 [Comment From Jadon] The fightworks podcast outpopulates some small countries!

9:29 Nothing new in Marcelo vs Bruno.

9:30 Magalhaes is on top in side control over Lister.

9:30 Dean is angling for xguard under Magalhaes. Not there yet.

9:31 [Comment From mikeoplata] this may sound stupid but that’s the vinny from the ultimate fighter not Draculino right?

9:32 Magalhaes working out of a sweep from Lister and now Dean has Magalhaes turtled up.

9:32 Marcelo Garcia went for a foot lock / heel hook and turned it into a sweep. Bastos now comes up and takes Marcelo backwards. The score is 2-2.

9:34 Marcelo Garcia and Bruno Bastos are still fighting. They are both standing in the center of the mats. They’re in OT with a tied score of 2-2.

9:34 Dean Lister nearly has taken Vinny Magalhaes’ back.

9:34 Marcelo appears to have a single leg take down… and… he gets it!

9:35 Marcelo is on top in half guard now.

9:35 [Comment From ScottOnTheNet] you are the man Caleb

9:35 Now Marcelo is up 6-2 over Bastos.

9:35 Magalhaes and Lister are now started in the center, standing. I presume they’re in overtime.

9:36 Score correction: Marcelo is up 4-2 over Bastos.

9:36 Marcelo is still on top in half guard over Bastos.

9:37 Vinny shoots, Dean sprawls and moves to take the back of Vinny, who is now in turtle.

9:37 Marcelo is now leading 7-2 over Bastos. He’s in solid side control.

9:38 For those who keep asking: the absolute brackets are not posted anywhere that I know of!

9:38 Marcelo is running away with things on points against Bastos.

9:39 Vinny is working on sinking an omoplata against Lister.

9:39 Uh oh: Marcelo has both hooks in and is working for the choke!

9:39 Bastos taps! The crowd gives a loud round of applause!

9:39 [Comment From Gumby] Lister is a bit like the Hulk, the madder he gets the more dangerous he is…if he’s behind (and the fact he took a loss yesterday) means he’s dangerous as heck right now. Still Vinny is very hard to tap on footlocks. When Vinny beat Drysdale at the PSL Drysdale damn near took Vinny’s foot off

9:40 Chris Weidman now faces Antoine Joaude.

9:40 [Comment From tapperouterer] is vinny still humaita?

9:40 @tapperouterer: not sure. I believe that’s his origin though.

9:40 [Comment From Gumby] Speaking of rebounding from losses, I’ve seen Marcelo after he takes one….and he just might be the most dangerous at that point as well

9:41 [Comment From Chris] Who is this announcer? Antoine “Jo-ah-day?”

9:41 Magalhaes and Lister are still tied. 0-0.

9:41 [Comment From Alicia] How much coffee have you consumed this weekend? 😉

9:42 @Alicia: One big coffee and one mega energy drink this morning. You do what you gotta do!

9:43 Chris Weidman and Antoine Joaude are still on their feet. Joaude is much bigger than Weidman.

9:43 Magalhaes is standing over Lister… Lister stands up too.

9:43 Chris Weidman and Antoine Joaude are still on their feet.

9:44 Magalhaes is on top of Lister in half guard.

9:44 Both Weidman and Joaude come from wrestling backgrounds.

9:45 Still scoreless between Lister and Magalhaes.

9:45 [Comment From DanO] BOAAAAA Caleb!

9:45 Hey everybody it’s Cohost Dan!

9:46 The commentators in Barcelona do not have access to the brackets either just so you guys know.

9:46 Magalhaes defeats Lister by ref decision.

9:47 [Comment From DavidB] Hi Dan!

9:47 Xande Ribeiro now faces Ricco Rodriguez!!!

9:47 Joaude and Weidman still standing.

9:48 For those who cannot see the feed, Ricco Rodriguez is very thin again. He doesn’t look like the same guy at all!

9:49 He has lost a ton of weight. He and Xande are standing, Xande drops in front of him, now stands back up.

9:50 Xande has Ricco around the waist and is now trying to take his back.

9:50 Ricco tries to roll out but Xande follows along.

9:50 Chris Weidman and Antoine Joaude are still on their feet.

9:51 Xande is going for the kimura on Ricco’s farside arm… and he gets it!!!

9:51 Xande Ribeiro eliminates Ricco Rodriguez.

9:52 Chris Weidman and Antoine Joaude are still on their feet. Doesn’t look like we’re going to get much more out of these two.

9:53 Next up: Andre Galvao versus…

9:53 [Comment From jaystorm] Greetings from Staten Island, NYC Awesome job Caleb! How many did they let enter the absolute?

9:54 @jaystrom: I believe it’s a 16 man division.

9:54 Tom De Blass is facing Andre Galvao. Tom is on his knees and Andre is in butterfly.

9:54 [Comment From gawkrodger] apparently Victor Estima has just said Braulio will be facing Marcelo next round!

9:55 @gawkerrodger: I think I may have heard that too.

9:55 Weidman is now up 3-0 over Joaude.

9:55 Galvao is on top in 1/2 guard over DeBlass.

9:56 De Blass goes after Galvao’s foot. Galvao squirms out pretty easily, and now sits in front of a standing DeBlass.

9:57 [Comment From m] braulio will beat marcelo again

9:57 @m: remember that Braulio just beat Marcelo in December in the gi though by triangle….

9:57 Galvao is underneath DeBlass, more or less in x-guard. DeBlass is sitting heavy on Galvao.

9:58 [Comment From tapperouterer] that was gi tho, no gi is marcelo’s realm

9:58 Galvao still threatening the sweep underneath De Blass.

9:59 Galvao trying to rock De Blass loose so he can pull off the sweep.

10:00 Now DeBlass goes after a heel hook again on Galvao but Galvao slithers away.

10:00 Chris Weidman defeats Antoine Joaude.

10:00 [Comment From Gumby] Braulio and Marcelo both transition easily between gi and nogi so that isn’t too much of a factor I think. The factor will be if Braulio manages to close his guard or if Marcelo can avoid it

10:02 Galvao loses position on De Blass and De Blass is now standing over Galvao’s open guard.

10:03 De Blass is going for the straight foot lock on Galvao. Time runs out and Galvao wins on points.

10:03 Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu now faces David Avellan! Two guys from Florida if I’m not mistaken.

10:04 Nelson and Monson still standing, locked up.

10:05 Nelson just went for the single leg on Monson but Monson just pushed Nelson away. Commentator: “There’s no reason why Monson shouldn’t be able to doubleleg [Nelson] through the building.”

10:05 Avelland is in front of Cyborg Abreu’s open guard.

10:06 [Comment From Gumby] In 2007, after losing in his division, a pissed off looking Avellan was the first person in the arena.

10:06 Monson is now in front of Nelson’s open guard.

10:07 Cyborg is in front of Avellan with upside down guard. He rotates and now is just open guard in front of Avellan.

10:07 [Comment From Oliver] How good are Monson’s wrestling credentials, anyone?

10:07 @Oliver: they are very good.

10:08 I wish this were not the case but it’s safe to say that just about every match of Monson’s looks the same. The opponents are interchangeable but Monson’s always in the same place doing the same thing.

10:09 [Comment From Oliver] Could almost say the same about Roger, sometimes. ^_-

10:09 [Comment From m] and gunnar started training just 3 years ago, and is already brown belt mundial champion

10:09 Avellan is still trying to pass Cyborg’s half guard.

10:09 [Comment From m] roger finishes fights

10:10 [Comment From Gumby] Depends on what’s at stake and how threatened Monson is by his opponent. He has a good guard actually but rarely is on his back unless he wants to be on it. But with this much prize money involved

10:12 [Comment From Oliver] Watched Monson in action at the Gracie Invitational in the UK a while back. Ended up trying to take someone’s back and ending on the bottom. Put his foot in the guy’s chest, kicked him across the mat, and stood up. ^_-

10:13 Both Gunnar and Monson are standing again.

10:13 Avellan is trying to flatten Cyborg out in half guard to set up the pass.